Moonlight Turnabout
by Charley The Plant
Summary: [Spoilers for AA1 and AA6] Nahyuta invites Apollo out to a restaurant for what was supposed to be a little bonding time between brothers. However, Apollo discovers Nahyuta has an ulterior motive-Nahyuta had asked Ema Skye to join them at that very same dinner, and Apollo is supposed to be his wingman! What happens when the brothers realize they both like the same girl?


July 21, 5:42 PM

Kingdom of Khura'in - Justice Law Offices

"Oof!"

I threw myself face down onto my tiny cot and half-heartedly kicked off my socks. Seven petty larceny cases, three fraud cases, and one drawn out grand theft case involving a stolen buffalo all added up to a long day at the courthouse. In other words, it was a typical day in Khura'in.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I was tired, but I let a small smile of satisfaction touch my lips. It's been about two months since I've settled down in Khura'in and I was amazed at how quickly I've readapted to life here. The country and the culture had a certain familiar rhythm to which I've become attuned, and lately I've found myself waking up and looking forward to the long days at the courthouse. It was as exciting as it was exhausting.

With a groan, I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to spruce up. Nahyuta had invited me out for dinner and I would be in for a long sermon if I wasn't on time. I rolled up my sleeves and quickly washed my face.

Although Nahyuta was frequently strict with me, he was friendly outside of the courtroom. After the Ga'ran regime was deposed, Nahyuta's cold exterior quickly began to wear away. Underneath that exterior was the person I remembered him to be when we were children: quick to smile, caring, and kind. Now that we were both well on our way to restoring the court system here in Khura'in, we had more time to reconnect as brothers.

I wiped my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Brother. It felt good to have family again.

I touched up my hair and straightened my clothes. My shirt was sweat-stained and my vest was wrinkled, but I didn't have to dress up for Nahyuta. Finally feeling energized, I grabbed my keys and dashed out of the office.

July 21, 6:01 PM

Kingdom of Khura'in - Bazaar

Fhu'dhi Restaurant

When I finally arrived at the restaurant, my eyes were greeted with a long line of people waiting to be seated. I squeezed through the crowd as politely as I could, hoping to myself that Nahyuta had made reservations for us.

"Apollo!"

I whirled around and tried to find the source of the voice. There, in all of his holy glory, was Nahyuta. He was seated at a table near the center of the small restaurant. I waved my hand and made my way towards him as quickly as I could. Of _course_ he had made reservations.

"You're late," Nahuyta said in a low voice.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "Sorry, Nahyuta. I got lost trying to find the restaurant."

"The restaurant is literally one block away from your office," Nahyuta said as I seated myself. "Didn't I give you directions?"

I poured myself a glass of water. I was parched from the walk. "Yes, but you wrote them in Khura'inese. It's been a long time since I've had to speak or write Khura'inese. I have to get used to it again."

"You've been here for two months now," the monk chided. He placed his hands in a mudra. "As your older brother, I—"

"Yes, yes, I know, Nahyuta," I grumbled. "I'll try to study more."

Nahyuta released his mudra and poured himself a glass of water. "Good."

I sighed and looked around the restaurant. It was small, but it was brightly decorated. Lavish red and yellow cloth dividers hung from the ceiling and billowed gently as waiters passed down the aisles. The enticing scent of curry wafted from the kitchen at the back of the restaurant.

"Isn't this a new restaurant?" I asked.

Nahyuta nodded. "It opened last week. I actually wouldn't have known about it if Ema hadn't told me."

"Ema…?" I pursed my lips. Since when was Nahyuta on a first name basis with Ema?

"Ah…." Nahyuta's eyes suddenly brightened as he stared at something behind me. "We have company." I frowned as I turned to follow his gaze.

A beautiful, veiled woman in traditional Khura'inese clothing entered the restaurant. Her long brown hair flowed out from under her veil and framed her small body. Waiters that had been single-mindedly serving customers for the past ten minutes suddenly paused and turned bright red as the Khura'inese beauty passed them in the aisle.

I felt my own face flush as she drew closer. I was suddenly fraught with embarrassment as I wished I had taken the time to change my clothes before meeting Nahyuta; I had no idea we would be dining with such a beautiful woman.

"Well, hello," she said as she came to the table. "I'm glad you were able to get reservations, Nahyuta. I've wanted to come here since it opened."

That voice…. It couldn't be!

"EMA?!" I cried.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized I had shouted her name out loud in surprise. Every single restaurant patron's eyes were on me. I didn't think my face could get any redder, but it did.

"S-sorry, sorry…." I said sheepishly. My shoulders slumped in embarrassment.

" _Apollo!_ " Ema hissed. She hastily tore the veil away from her face and glared at me. "What's wrong with you?!"

My mouth hung open in surprise. "I-I'm sorry! I…I just…." I glared back at her. " _Why are you dressed like that?!_ "

Ema pouted and put her hands on her hips. "And why wouldn't I be? It's not often that I get to dress up and have dinner—on Nahyuta's dime, no less." She shot Nahyuta a cheeky grin and plopped down into a chair between us.

Nahyuta smiled and poured Ema a glass of water. "I'm happy to see that you're wearing the dress my mother sent you," he said.

Wha…? The Queen Regent sent Ema a dress? Why?

"It's lovely, Nahyuta," Ema said. "I'll be sure to visit her to thank her myself, but please tell her I received it and that I think it's beautiful."

 _Nahyuta?!_ Did Ema just call Nahyuta by his first name?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…. Whoa." I leaned over the table and glared at both of them. "Since when have the both of you been so chummy with each other?"

Nahyuta calmly raised an eyebrow. "Chummy?"

I flashed him an awkward grin. "Well, I mean, I didn't know you two were on a first name basis now…."

Ema crossed her arms. "What's so surprising about that?"

I stared at the both of them, who were staring back at me impassively. The Queen Regent had sent Ema a dress…. Nahyuta made reservations at a restaurant Ema had wanted to try…. _Could it be?_

"You two…." I gritted my teeth. "You're not _dating,_ are you?!"

"Apollo!" Ema grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to whisper in my ear. I could smell the sweet scent of hibiscus in her hair. "You're embarrassing meeeeee!"

Ema dropped my arm and smoothed out her dress. "I'm sorry about that, Nahyuta," she said, turning to the monk.

Nahyuta had watched the two of us with an amused look in his eyes. "Please don't apologize. It is I who should be apologizing for the actions of my _pohlkunan_ brother." Nahyuta raised his hands in a mudra again. "It seems his soul is uneasy. Perhaps it would behoove him to accompany me to the three-hour mantra chanting ceremony at the temple tonight."

"N-no!" I shot him a nervous smile. "I…I've got a lot of Khura'inese language studying planned for tonight. No can do, Nahyuta!"

Nahyuta released the mudra and tilted his head with the slightest of smiles. "Very well."

"I'm attending the ceremony," Ema said brightly. "Did you know that the Moonlight Festival begins tonight?"

"T-tonight?" I crossed my arms in thought. I vaguely remembered that the Khura'inese had a midsummer festival of some sort. Every year around this time, Dhurke had taken Nahyuta and I to the outskirts of the kingdom to look down upon the festivities. Because we were in hiding, we were never able to attend the festival. However, Dhurke had always found a way to make it up to us by throwing his own makeshift festival, complete with firecrackers and little carnival games he would make up off the top of his head. The memory brought a smile to my face.

"The Moonlight Festival begins with a three-hour mantra chanting at the temple to bless the festival goers," Nahyuta explained. "It would be a pity if—"

"I'll go," I quickly interjected.

Nahyuta's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You will? What happened to your language study?"

"I'll study some other time," I said. "I'll go."

"Oh," Ema said softly. "Well, it will be nice to see you there at the temple tonight."

I felt my face flush again. Why was I going to the temple ceremony? The last thing I wanted to do was sit in full lotus position for three hours as I chanted some mantra that I didn't understand. Yet…. I stole a glance at Ema, who was adjusting the gauzy shawl over her bare shoulders. For some reason, the thought of her being at the festival with Nahyuta compelled me to go. Perhaps it was mere curiosity…. Perhaps it was—

"I'll be right back," Ema said as she stood from her chair. "I need to go to the ladies' room to adjust this shawl. If the waiter comes, could you order for me?"

"Okay!"

I turned to Nahyuta, who had answered at the same time I did. I clenched my jaw.

Ema looked at the both of us as though we were aliens. "Er…. All right, then." She left the table.

I exhaled and quickly turned to Nahyuta. "Nahyuta! What's going on with you two?!"

Nahyuta serenely closed his eyes and smiled. "What do you mean, brother?"

"You know what I mean!" I let a grunt of exasperation escape my throat. "First of all, your mother sent Ema a dress—"

"As thanks for her assistance these past few months," Nahyuta explained. "Nothing more."

I paused. "…Oh." I breathed a small sigh of relief. "Well, aside from that, you're both on a first name basis all of a sudden—"

Nahyuta's muted laughter interrupted my train of thought. "When two people work together long enough, isn't it natural that those two people get…how shall I put it… _close_ to each other?"

I sat back against my chair. _Close?_ "Uh…. What do you mean by _close?_ "

Nahyuta shrugged and took a sip of water. "Ema is a talented detective. She's smart, engaging…." He turned his piercing green eyes towards me. "And beautiful."

"W-what?!" I frowned and leaned forward again. "Nahyuta, you can't be serious!"

"Of course I am, Apollo! When have I ever _not_ been serious?" Nahyuta leaned towards me. "Don't tell me you've never noticed how lovely Ema Skye is."

My face contorted in confusion. Noticed…Ema? Sure, she was all right. Pretty, even. But all of that was overshadowed by her brusque attitude. She's always been reticent to lend a hand during my investigations and she was always questioning my ability as a lawyer. Why would I ever think of her as—

 _Soft, long brown hair that smelled of hibiscus. Eyes the color of the sea at twilight._ The memory of her walking through the restaurant suddenly popped into my head.

I shook my head. What the heck was I thinking?

Nahyuta leaned back and laughed. "I can tell from the look on your face that you disagree with me."

"N-no!" I shook my head emphatically. "It's not that. She's…she's puh…puh…."

Nahyuta raised an eyebrow. "Pretty?"

"P-pretty. Yes." I gulped. "It's just that…. I've never really thought of her like that before."

Nahyuta sighed. "I must admit that my mother had an ulterior motive for sending Ema that dress." He pursed his lips. "She thinks that it's time I took a bride."

" _Took a bride?!_ " I guffawed. Nahyuta made marriage sound like he was picking up groceries from the market. "So there _was_ some reason for the dress! Do you even want to get married right now?"

Nahyuta shrugged. "It might not be so bad if it was Ema." He threw me a pointed glance. "That's why I've invited her to this restaurant tonight. I wanted to gauge my feelings about the matter."

My jaw dropped. "T-then why did you even bring me along?" I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. "That makes me a third wheel!"

" _For moral support, you lowly soul!_ " Nahyuta hissed and clenched his fists. "I…I've never gone on a date with a girl before!"

I grimaced as I slowly brought my hands to my face in despair. Ugh. This was going to be the most awkward dinner I've had in a very long time.

A waiter finally came to our table and Nahyuta ordered in Khura'inese. They spoke very quickly and the words flew by in a flash, so I could only understand snippets of the conversation. He left, and a short while later Ema returned to the table and sat down with a _plunk._

"So! What did I miss?" she asked.

"Nothing," we replied in unison.

Ema frowned and cast a suspicious glare in our direction. "Really?" She leaned in close to me and glared. I felt my face turn bright red. "You two are brothers. You must have had a lot to talk about between the both of you."

"W-we didn't talk about anything!" I cried. I've never sounded so guilty in my life.

"Apollo and I were talking about marriage," Nahyuta said coolly. For a man that has never been on a date before, he was awfully straightforward.

Ema crossed her arms. "That's a weird subject." She leaned towards me again. "Apollo! You're not thinking of getting married, are you?"

"W-why do you keep leaning towards me?!" I cried.

Nahyuta took a sip of water. "What do you think about marriage, Ema?"

Ema put a finger to her lips and looked up in thought. "I never really thought about it, to be honest," she said. She suddenly grinned. "I guess you could say that I'm married to science!"

"Yes, but…." Nahyuta leaned towards Ema. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Are you…averse to getting married in the near future?"

Ema's face flushed. Her rosy cheeks brought out the color in her sea green eyes. She turned those eyes in my direction, and I blushed for the hundredth time that day. "I…I think that…if I found the right person, I wouldn't mind…."

Nahyuta sat back in his chair with a pleased look on his face. "Ah. That's good to hear, Ema. Because—"

"Look!" I cried, my voice cracking. "Here's the food!"

Everyone looked up as the waiter placed a large platter in the center of the table. It was a familiar stew-like dish with succulent bits of potatoes and meat swimming around in a curry broth.

"This smells delicious, Nahyuta!" Ema exclaimed. "What is it?"

"It's a dish that our father used to make for us," Nahyuta said, casting me a quick glance.

"I remember," I said faintly. When Dhurke brought back a deer from his hunting forays, he would sometimes make a stew using the potatoes that Nahyuta and I raised in our small garden. I remembered waiting excitedly at the dinner table as Dhurke served it to us.

Ema smiled as she stared at the dish. "I can't wait!"

"Here you go!"

Nahyuta and I both reached for the serving ladle at the same time. I looked up at Nahyuta, who was staring at me through narrowed eyes. I clenched my jaw and firmly gripped the ladle. He did too.

"Uh…." Ema's eyes darted between the both of us. "Are you guys…."

"We're _fine!_ " I said as I pulled the ladle towards myself. "I was just about to serve you—"

"Don't trouble yourself, Apollo," Nahyuta said through clenched teeth. "Let _me_ do this—"

"It's not trouble at all, Nahyuta. _I've got—"_

" _No, I've—_ "

"Ack!"

In the midst of our struggle, Nahyuta and I had tipped over Ema's glass of water. It spilled ignominiously onto the table and onto to her beautiful dress.

"Oh, no!" Ema cried. She unraveled her napkin and dabbed at her skirt. "You _guyssssss!_ "

Nahyuta and I exchanged guilty glances before shamefully sitting back down into our chairs.

"Ema…." I plaintively stretched out a hand towards her. "I'm really sorry—"

She quickly stood. "I'm going to the ladies room to dry my dress," she said in a small voice. "Please start dinner. Don't wait on me. I'll be back soon."

Ema left the table and briskly walked towards the restrooms. I quietly stared after her as my hand was left hanging in the space where she used to be.

I had caught a glimpse of her face before she walked away. It had been etched in sadness. I hadn't realized it, but Ema had been really happy to go to a new restaurant wearing a beautiful new dress. Nahyuta and I had acted like idiots and ruined the night for her.

No. Nahyuta had nothing to do with it. _I_ was the idiot.

Nahyuta took the beads from around his neck and banged the table with his fist. "What do you think you're doing, Apollo?!"

I turned to Nahyuta in shock. "W-what?"

His eyes were filled with anger. "Just what do you think you're doing, you _pohlkunan_ halfwit?! Why didn't you let me serve her?"

My mouth slowly opened in surprise. "I…I…."

Nahyuta leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Are you trying to sabotage my date with Ema?"

"How can this even count as a date when you brought me along?" My lame attempt at justifying my behavior only enraged the fearsome monk.

" _ **Satorha!**_ " Nahyuta cried. "I _told_ you what my intentions were!" Nahyuta's eyes were like steel. "The least you could have done was tell me _yours._ "

"M-my intentions?!" I shook my head "But I don't _have_ any—oof!"

Nahyuta had thrown his beads at my head, which perfunctorily squeezed me into submission. "In the name of the Holy Mother, tell me the truth lest your miserable soul be cast into the depths of the Hell of Tickling for 10,000 years."

"Eep!" The beads ceased its constriction and fell into my lap. I quickly tossed them to Nahyuta as if I had been handling a snake.

Was…was that what I was doing? Was I trying to sabotage Nahyuta's date? My shoulders slumped as I avoided his gaze. Tell the truth? What truth was I supposed to—

 _Hibiscus-scented hair. Sea green eyes._

Oh, crud. I had a crush on Ema Skye.

I gulped nervously and returned Nahyuta's stare. "Fine. I…I think I have a crush on Ema."

Nahyuta frowned as a low growl came from the back of his throat. "Well, so do _I._ "

"You didn't even know if you liked her before you saw her tonight!" I hissed at him.

"And…and neither did you!" Nayhuta hissed back, stammering in shock.

My heart felt as though it was about to plow right through my chest. _Ema Skye?_ How could this happen? She had never shown me anything but contempt. Furthermore, it seemed like she's only ever spoken disparagingly of Nahyuta. She had only accepted Nahyuta's offer to work with him in Khura'in because of the opportunities it afforded her. It was almost as if all Nahyuta and I ever did was irritate her.

However…. That small look of sadness that I had seen on her face. I've never seen her sad before. She looked…vulnerable. Small. It was as if her crass behavior was a front to compensate for the tender feelings she held deep inside her. Ema, a woman with a brilliant mind…. Ema in a dress…. Ema with a gentle side…. The thought that there were sides to Ema that I'd never seen in all the years that I've known her instantly made me even more eager to get close to her.

There was only one problem. That problem was sitting in a chair right in front of me. That problem was my brother. _Brother._ He was my family. Brothers don't fight over girls.

I quickly stood. "I…. I have to go."

Nahyuta stared at me in confusion. "What?"

"I…I'm sorry." I pursed my lips as I stood above him, drained of all energy. "I'm sorry. I was supposed to be here for moral support, but I can't do it." I gave a shuddering sigh as I turned. "Good luck, Nahyuta."

I quickly walked down the aisle. The lavish curtains billowed as I strode past. Only when I had finally made it back to my office did I let out a shout of frustration. I put my hands on my hips.

"Good luck, Nahyuta," I said softly to myself.

Outside, the bazaar bustled with energy as the people of Khura'in prepared for the coming festival.

July 21, 10:00 PM

Kingdom of Khura'in - Tehm'pul Temple Plaza

I climbed the last step up to the temple plaza. I could still hear the monks chanting inside. The ceremony still wasn't over.

With a sigh, I turned and sat down on the stairs. From up here, I could see all of Khura'in stretched out before me. Lights flickered throughout the kingdom like fireflies in the night.

 _Daddy! Look, the festival!_

 _Daddy, can we go?_

 _I'm sorry, boys. You know we can't go down there._

 _Aw, but Daddy—_

 _Daddy, just this once!_

 _Hey, look! Look what I've got here! Look what Datz brought for you boys!_

 _Whoa, firecrackers!_

 _Datz brought those just for us?!_

 _Ha ha! Yes, he did! I asked him to make those just for you boys._

 _Cool!_

 _Can we light them up, Daddy!_

 _Of course you can! Just be careful, okay?_

 _Awesome! Hey Apollo, you want to set them off at the same time they set off the big fireworks at the temple?_

 _Yeah! Let's do it!_

 _Thanks, Daddy. You're the best._

 _Yeah, Daddy. You're the bestest!_

 _Ha ha! You boys are the best sons a father could ever ask for. I love you both._

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Dhurke. I could finally attend the Moonlight Festival for myself. I could play the festival games, eat the festival food, see the fireworks up close from the temple…. But it wasn't going to be the same without him.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

With a yelp, I turned and looked up. Ema was standing above me. Behind her, the full moon sat above her head like a halo.

"Ema…." Embarrassed, I sniffled. "I was just waiting for the ceremony to end."

Ema placed her hands on her hips. "Where did you go during dinner? It was really good. You missed out."

I rubbed the back of my head. "I…I know. I'm sorry I left so suddenly."

Ema snorted. "What did you have to go off and do so suddenly, anyway?"

"Er…." I sighed. "I had to do something…for my brother."

She nodded. "Ah. I see."

I frowned. "Hey, why are _you_ here?"

Ema smirked. "I got a cramp in my leg." She pursed her lips and looked off into the distance. "Besides, you can't really expect a girl to sit in full lotus position for three hours in a dress like this."

Ema sat down with a _plunk_ beside me. She quietly smoothed out her dress before hugging her knees to her chest. "If you're waiting for Nahyuta, he said he can't attend the festival after the ceremony."

I turned to her. "Why not?"

"He said the high priest asked him to assist him with something," she mumbled. "The festival goes on for a week, though, so he said he'd come out with us tomorrow."

"…Us?" I shook my head. "I don't under—"

"Nahyuta said during dinner that you and he had always wanted to go to the Moonlight Festival when you were kids, but you couldn't," Ema said softly. "Something about your father not being able to take you because he was keeping you safe."

"Y-yeah…." I hugged my knees to my chest as well. I was surprised that Nahyuta had shared that story with her.

"So he said that the three of us could attend the festival tomorrow," she said happily. "Together." I turned towards her and saw that she was smiling.

Quietly, we both stared out over the city. Besides the calming drone of the chanting coming from the temple, it was extraordinarily quiet. I let my eyes shift to catch a glimpse of Ema sitting beside me. The fringes of her long hair glowed in the moonlight and an errant breeze carried the scent of hibiscus from her hair. If it weren't for the tranquility of the evening, I might have passed out from the stress of being alone with Ema; after all, I'd only realized I had feelings for her hours ago. My mind hadn't had time to process everything yet.

Ema sighed. "It's nice to have your brother so close by, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"I have a sister, you know," Ema said. I turned towards her. She stared at some point far off into the distance. "She's the reason I met Mr. Wright long ago." She absently laughed and leaned in towards me. "Bet you didn't know that."

"No, I didn't," I answered. In the moonlight, her eyes were the color of the ocean after a storm.

Ema turned away and smiled. "She was in prison for awhile. When she was finally released, she took a job on the other side of the country. She tried to find a job back in Los Angeles, but…."

We sat quietly for a moment longer. I broke the silence. "Tell me about her. I want to know."

Ema looked at me from the corners of her eyes. She slowly turned towards me, her mouth slightly agape. "You…you do?"

I turned my body towards her. "I do, Ema. I…." I gulped. "I want to know. I…I want to know more about you. I want to know because—"

A gong rung behind us and we both turned at the sound. People flooded out from the temple in droves. The ceremony was over, and everyone was now on their way to start the festival.

"Oh," I breathed. "I guess that means—"

I felt something soft brush across my cheek, soft like a flower's petals. I was blanketed in the scent of hibiscus. I turned towards Ema, my face flushing bright red. She had kissed me on the cheek.

Ema smiled and held my arm as we stood. "You're…kind of sweet, Apollo. It's nice to know that someone is interested in me for more than my big brain."

I laughed as I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, you know me…."

She slipped her arm under mine. "You know, I don't think I really do." She waved her hand out over all of Khura'in as people began to pass around us on their way to the bazaar. "If you and I are both going to be living here in Khura'in, we might as well get to know one another."

I smiled. Ema was a still a handful, but I knew there was more than that deep down inside her. I had all the time in the world to learn what it was.

We started walking down the stairs arm in arm when my cell phone started to buzz. I reached into my pocket and checked the display. It was a message from Nahyuta.

— _Good luck, little brother. May the best monk win._ ^_~

I laughed. Since when did Nahyuta start using emojis in his text messages?

"Who was it?" Ema asked. "Is everything okay?"

I turned off my cell phone and put it back into my pocket. "It's fine, Ema. Everything's fine." I smiled as I led her down the stairs towards the lights of the festival. "Come on. Let's go get some firecrackers."


End file.
